n.
State (pop., 2001 prelim.: 96,752,247), west-central India.
It lies on the Arabian Sea and is bordered by the states of Gujarat , Madhya Pradesh , Chhattisgarh , Andhra Pradesh , Karnataka , and Goa and the union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli ; its capital is Mumbai (Bombay). Occupying an area of 118,800 sq mi (307,690 sq km), it covers much of the Deccan plateau, containing the valleys of the Krishna , Bhima , and Godavari rivers. The population is a mixture of ethnic groups; Marathi is the state language. The region was divided into Hindu kingdoms in the 8th13th centuries; they were followed by a series of Muslim dynasties. A Maratha kingdom ruled by 1674, and by the 18th century a Maratha empire had been established. The British gained control early in the 19th century. When India won independence in 1947, the area was known as Bombay state; it was divided on linguistic lines in 1960, creating Gujarat in the north and Maharashtra in the south. Its economy is primarily agricultural; industries include oil-refining and cotton textiles.